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Back of the Pack Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kyle Walker
Lace up your sneakers, grab your favorite headband, and toe the starting line! The signal has fired and the “Back of the Pack Podcast” is up and running! Are you a fan of running 5k’s just because the finisher medal looks cool? You are not alone there! Join the show that is all about the race swag and running on a Saturday morning to get the most out of your race registration. We will talk about local races in the Kansas City area. We will give you a heads up if you’re wanting to go farther outside the area to run the big races. Host Kyle Walker has fourteen full marathons, over eighty half marathons, and hundreds of 5k’s and 10k's. Take it from us, you are among friends here if you’ve gotten to the finish line to find all the bananas gone!
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 days ago36 min
Ultra Curious: Slow Down Go Farther
In this week’s Second Wind, we continue The Ultra Curious by tackling one of the biggest mindset shifts road runners face when stepping into the ultramarathon world: sometimes the smartest way to go farther is to slow down sooner. We explore why ultra pacing is less about chasing a specific number on the watch and more about managing an “effort budget” that has to last for hours. From power hiking hills to resisting the urge to chase other runners, we look at how restraint early can preserve the legs, stomach, hydration, and mental energy we will desperately want later. We also break down why walking while we still feel good can be a strategy instead of a surrender, and why the run-everything mentality can become a liability once the distance stretches past the marathon. Fueling plays a huge role too, because if we are moving too hard to comfortably eat, drink, and digest, then our pace may be working against the very system keeping us in the race. We dig into the trap of trying to “bank time,” the difference between building a smart cutoff cushion and burning ourselves up early, and why efficient aid-station stops matter just as much as what happens between them. Along the way, we introduce a simple three-phase approach for managing an ultra: Protect. Maintain. Spend. The goal is not to crawl through the entire day, but to move fast enough to make progress and slow enough to remain sustainable. Because in ultrarunning, patience, restraint, fueling, walking, and problem-solving are not signs that the race is going badly, they are part of the performance itself.
- 6 days ago35 min
Old Pali Panic and Plaza Tradition
This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, we are back to a more normal race-review rhythm after Sydney, with one race from Hawaii, one race from Kansas City, and one very big milestone to unpack. First up is the Old Pali Road 5K on Oahu, a race that sounded like a fun Hawaiian bonus run until calendar chaos, time-zone weirdness, and a surprise 6:30 a.m. start turned it into a scramble before the first step. Kyle arrived late, missed the official start, chased the course on his own, climbed nearly 700 feet in the first half, passed 30 people, and still managed to leave with a race shirt, because sometimes the real finisher medal is the cotton-poly blend you negotiate for afterward. Then it is back home for the 2026 Plaza 10K, a long-running Kansas City fall tradition and the first race in the Heartland 30K series. This year’s Plaza 10K brought a new course because of the Kansas City streetcar expansion, which meant a different route, fewer favorite downhills, but still a well-run event, a strong turnout, a sharp medal, good crowd support, and a perfectly timed start. The bigger story, though, is that the Plaza 10K marked Kyle’s 400th race, giving us a chance to look at the numbers behind the madness: 188 5Ks, 68 10Ks, 95 half marathons, 17 full marathons, and 2,893 raced! We break down what those numbers actually mean, including how 5Ks make up nearly half of the starts while half marathons carry the biggest share of the mileage. To close things out, Kyle talks about what that much running can do for the body, from cardiovascular fitness and blood pressure to bones, muscles, tendons, mobility, brain health, durability, body awareness, and the not-so-glamorous but very necessary art of recovery.
- 1 weeks ago39 min
Ultra Curious: Same Runner, Different Game
In this week’s Second Wind, we continue The Ultra Curious by asking what really changes when everyday road runners start looking beyond 26.2 miles and toward the ultramarathon world. We break down why a 50K is more than simply “a marathon plus five miles,” and how pace, terrain, elevation, and time on feet can completely change the way we approach the day. We talk about learning to view walking as strategy instead of failure, loosening our obsession with mile splits, and understanding that sustainable effort matters far more than chasing traditional road-race pace. We also dive into the very different world of ultra aid stations, fueling, hydration, gear, and the danger of getting a little too comfortable when the aid station starts looking more like a neighborhood cookout than a quick water stop. Cutoff times, changing weather, trail surfaces, and even something as simple as knowing what to carry can suddenly become major pieces of the race-day puzzle. The mental side changes too, because ultrarunning can mean riding several emotional highs and lows while learning not to make permanent decisions during temporary bad patches. The good news is that we are not starting from scratch, because everything we have learned through 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, and marathons still gives us a strong endurance foundation to build from. We’re still road runners at heart, but as we dip our toes into this new world, we’re learning one thing very quickly: same runner, different game.
- 1 weeks ago1h 11m
2026 TCS Sydney Marathon Review
This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, we are back from Australia and finally diving into the big review of the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon. Kyle opens the episode running on jet lag, very little sleep, and the aftermath of a trip where nearly everything that could go wrong did, including a travel nightmare that turned the road to Sydney into its own endurance event. After delays, missed connections, an unexpected 24-hour layover in Vancouver, baggage issues, and arriving in Sydney just 24 hours before the marathon, the race weekend started with a missed 5K and a rushed trip through the expo at Sydney Olympic Park. From there, we get into the marathon itself, from the corral setup and downhill start in North Sydney to the early climb over the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and the first miles through The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, Barangaroo, Circular Quay, and downtown Sydney. The course review follows the race through the Pride section, the long southern stretch, Centennial Park, and the late miles back toward the Opera House, where the second half brought steady climbs, fading crowd support, mental math, and a whole lot of survival-mode running. Kyle also breaks down why the Sydney sun felt so draining, clearing up the ozone-layer rumor while explaining how strong UV, glare, time on course, hydration struggles, jet lag, and marathon fatigue all combined to make the day tougher than the temperature suggested. Even though the race did not go according to plan and finished around 6 hours and 22 minutes, the final run down toward the Sydney Opera House still delivered one of the most memorable finish lines in the World Marathon Majors. Along the way, Sydney earns huge praise for its volunteers and aid stations, while the episode also covers the medal, the now-famous wrong-stadium mistake, and the lessons future Sydney runners should take seriously: get there early, train for hills, plan your hydration, and respect the sun.
- 2 weeks ago16 min
The Ultra Curious: Buckle Up!
We’re kicking off a brand-new Second Wind series called The Ultra Curious, where we start exploring what happens when everyday road runners begin looking beyond 26.2 miles and into the strange, fascinating world of ultrarunning. For our first stop, longtime friend of the show and frequent guest host Karin Velez of the award-winning Just Grow Something podcast takes over the mic while we’re still traveling after the Sydney Marathon. Karin is usually the one bringing the science, but this time she is digging into the history behind one of ultrarunning’s most recognizable traditions: the finisher belt buckle. Why do so many American ultramarathons hand out buckles instead of the medals road runners know and love? Where did that tradition begin, and how did it become such a deeply rooted part of ultra culture? Karin walks us through the history, the symbolism, and the reason that shiny piece of hardware means so much more than simply having something new to hold up for the finish-line photo. It is the perfect introduction to a running world filled with its own traditions, language, expectations, and wonderfully unusual customs. Buckle up, because The Ultra Curious is officially heading beyond the marathon.
- 2 weeks ago33 min
Guest Host Sierra Morris - The Run, Shattered Podcast!
This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, Kyle is off in Sydney, Australia chasing another World Marathon Major, so we are turning the microphone over to guest host Sierra Morris from The Run, Shattered Podcast. Sierra, also known as ShatteredRunner, brings her focus on mental skills, resilience, and the psychological side of running to a topic every runner needs: confidence. This episode dives into how confidence is built, why it matters in training, and how runners can strengthen their mindset before they ever reach the start line. Sierra explores the mental tools marathoners and ultramarathoners use to stay steady when races get hard, including visualization, breath work, mantras, preparation, and learning how to trust the work already done. Whether you are chasing a PR, attempting a new distance, coming back from a rough race, or just trying to believe you belong out there, this conversation is built for you. Confidence is not about pretending everything will go perfectly, it is about knowing you can handle the messy middle when things get uncomfortable. With Kyle halfway around the world and the Back of the Pack community watching the Sydney adventure unfold, this guest episode is the perfect reminder that running is never just about legs and lungs. Sometimes the biggest race-day breakthrough starts with what is happening between your ears.
- 3 weeks ago23 min
The Final Stretch: Ready or Not. Sydney
With race weekend finally here, The Final Stretch comes to a close from Sydney, Australia, just two days before the TCS Sydney Marathon. At this point, there is no more fitness to build, no more missed workouts to chase, and no more cramming left to do, which means readiness has officially stopped being a question and become a decision. We talk about the last things we can still control, from hydration, nutrition, rest, and race-week logistics to making sure a Saturday 5K does not become an accidental dress rehearsal for disaster. We also tackle jet lag, unpredictable weather, race-day nerves, and why nothing new belongs anywhere near our shoes, fuel, clothing, or strategy this late in the game. With A, B, and C goals still in play, we look at why solving the mile we are actually in matters far more than worrying about mile 22 before the gun even fires. There is also a bigger reminder woven through this finale: whether we are standing at a World Marathon Major or a neighborhood 5K, getting to a start line is something worth appreciating rather than taking for granted. Sydney was never part of the original plan, but one unexpected lottery acceptance turned it into another chapter in a journey that has already stretched through Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin, and Tokyo. The work is finished, the bags are packed, and now there is only one thing left to do: trust what we built, enjoy where we are, and go run the race.
- 3 weeks ago51 min
The Sydney Marathon Preview!
This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, we are recording the final episode from the United States before the podcast heads across the world for Sydney Marathon Week. Before the passport panic takes over, Kyle recaps the Head for the Cure 5K in Overland Park, a massive Kansas City-area event supporting brain cancer awareness, research, and families impacted by the disease. From there, we turn the spotlight to the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, breaking down the race, the history, the course, the logistics, and why this new World Marathon Major matters. We talk about Sydney’s Olympic roots, its growth into the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major, and how the race has quickly become a major destination for runners chasing stars around the globe. The episode walks listeners through the Harbour Bridge start, the Sydney Opera House finish, the seven-hour cutoff, the time difference for everyone following along back home, and the reality that there are still 26.2 miles of consequences between those postcard moments. Kyle also digs into the race expo at Sydney Olympic Park, race-day transportation, tracking, volunteers, safety, weather concerns, and the now-famous 2026 medal mistake that accidentally gave the finisher medal a quick layover in Munich. Of course, this preview comes with plenty of back-of-the-pack honesty about jet lag, travel stress, extra walking, pacing, hills, rain, and the main goal of simply surviving the race and earning that Sydney star. With Sydney as Kyle’s sixth World Marathon Major and London waiting in 2027, this episode is part race preview, part travel sendoff, and part invitation for the whole Back of the Pack community to follow along as the next big adventure begins.
About Back of the Pack Podcast
Lace up your sneakers, grab your favorite headband, and toe the starting line! The signal has fired and the “Back of the Pack Podcast” is up and running! Are you a fan of running 5k’s just because the finisher medal looks cool? You are not alone there! Join the show that is all about the race swag and running on a Saturday morning to get the most out of your race registration. We will talk about local races in the Kansas City area. We will give you a heads up if you’re wanting to go farther outside the area to run the big races. Host Kyle Walker has fourteen full marathons, over eighty half marathons, and hundreds of 5k’s and 10k's. Take it from us, you are among friends here if you’ve gotten to the finish line to find all the bananas gone!
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